10 Things to Do in Dallas for $10 or Less, December 2-4

H. Schenck: Is That Your Father’s Watch? The Safe Room at Texas Theatre 231 W. Jefferson Blvd. 7 p.m. Friday Free The first thing you should know about artist H. Schenck, whose exhibit Is That Your Father’s Watch? closes Friday, is that he creates art out of mud. Why mud? It’s universal, apolitical, communal, essential, accessible and ubiquitous. Our planet is made up of it. We use it, move it, play with it and have religious narratives about it. Because of the nature of the material, its ability to function in diverse ways and our relationship with it, mud can act as an accessible metaphor for a diverse population. — Rachel Williams

Disco Kids It'll Do 4322 Elm St. 6 to 9:30 p.m. Friday $5 for kids, free for parents Ever feel wistful when you look back on your clubbing days? Maybe you don’t miss the pounding hangovers and lingering bad decisions, but man … what you wouldn’t give to throw caution to the wind, toss the DJ a couple of requests and get out on the dance floor and grind. Unfortunately, that endeavor will now cost you $80 for a sitter and your kids will show you no mercy the next morning as the bass lines still jab at your eardrums. Consider it time to pass the torch to the next generation and take your progeny to Disco Kids at It’ll Do, from 6 p.m. until way past their bedtime on Friday. You’ll beam with pride as your toddler tears up that lighted dance floor while your 6-year-old shakes it to some sick beats (played at a decibel level that’s decidedly child-friendly). And if the music really gets you groovin’, it’s not unheard of to see moms and dads out there busting a few moves, too. It's $5 cover for kids, free for parents, and bring some extra scratch for the food trucks. — Jennifer Davis-Lamm

Dallas Farmers Market 920 S. Harwood St. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday Free Gingerbread is fantastic. Pumpkin pie is a delight. Dressing is consumable by the bowlful. But the real satisfier, the true Texas Christmas dish, is the tamale. The DFW Tamale Festival and Christmas Market celebrates the stuffed maize concoctions with stories, holiday gift and decor shopping, craft booths, carolers and live music by Jaci Velasquez. But clearly, the best part of the festival, which runs all day Saturday at the Dallas Farmers Market, is the mass of tamales. Learn about the Texas tamale tradition and how they’re made, on top of eating your weight in them and taking even more home. — Merritt Martin

Matt Bagley’s Trans Dimensional Holidaze Get Together Mighty Fine Arts 419 North Tyler St. 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday Free A self-proclaimed “swamp child,” Matt Bagley's imaginative reveries are firmly rooted in the humid backwaters of South Louisiana where he grew up. He’s evolved into an artist and talented printmaker/ archeologist/skateboard activist/theologist/homespun philosopher who somehow manages to channel all of these interests into art that’s at once relatable and unexpected. His unconventionality shines through in “Breussard the Alligator,” about (predictably) an alligator who, after enjoying brief success in the New York fashion industry, returns home to the bayou to make art and invent something called the “Print Frog.” He says to think of it as if Harvey Fierstein was an old Cajun. — Rachel Williams

We can all bike fashionably now that it's cold outside.

Danny Hurley

The Tweed Ride Fair Park DART Station 1121 1st Ave. 12 p.m. Saturday Free Colder seasons mean heavier clothing but that doesn’t mean wearing any old potato sack to keep warm. Embrace this most trendy time of year with none other than tweed, the celebrated woolen fabric of 1960s fashion with herringbone and twill structures woven throughout. And do it while pedaling through Dallas on a brisk winter afternoon. The Tweed Ride is a community gathering of cyclists who enjoy the dapper side of life alongside a gentle stroll through the city’s bustling downtown district. It’s easy to keep up, and several area bicycle shops offer rentals for anyone in need of wheels. Once the ride is over, join others for a community picnic but bring cash because hot cider will be available, with proceeds supporting the community efforts of Bike Friendly Oak Cliff. The event will begin at Fair Park Station at noon. — Diamond Victoria

Barry Whistler Gallery 315 Cole St., Suite 120 6 p.m. Saturday Free Bob Dylan just won a Nobel Prize in Literature, so it’s safe to assume that a lot of people like him. But Dallas art gallery owner Barry Whistler likes him A LOT, so much in fact that he’s dedicated his forthcoming 12-artist exhibition after a Dylan song. Tangled Up in Blue opens Saturday at Whistler’s gallery in the Design District, and he says the show will serve as a nod to Dylan’s recent feat. The artists were assigned to use sculpture, painting and drawing to create different interpretations of the hue. The participating artists are Max Ernst, Martha Groome, Luke Harnden, Terrell James, Otis Jones, Ellsworth Kelly, Tom Orr, Andrea Rosenberg, Lorraine Tady, John Wilcox, Danny Williams and Mark Williams. — Rachel Williams

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Reliant Lights Your Holidays AT&T Performing Arts Center 2403 Flora St. 5:30 p.m. Saturday Free Yes, you’re going to drive through some neighborhoods with shockingly good lights and gorgeous decorations. But before you do that, kick it off with Reliant Lights Your Holidays Concert and Fireworks Spectacular at 5:30 p.m. Saturday in Sammons Park. The family-friendly event lights up the AT&T Performing Arts Center campus and trees with scads of LED holiday lights and offers live performances by A.B. Quintanilla y Elektro Kumbia and RaeLynn. Kids of all ages can snap free photos with Santa Claus and enjoy a sky lit up with fireworks, starting at 6:50 p.m. The festival is free, but RSVPs are requested. Those who RSVP are registered to win a family four-pack to Lightwire Theater’s A Very Electric Christmas. — Merritt Martin

Michael Sieben, The Thing Within {neighborhood} 411 N. Bishop Ave. Saturday through Jan. 1 Free On his website msieben.com, Austin-based designer and illustrator Michael Sieben includes a 2014 photo of a mural he painted on a small building on Singleton Boulevard. Commissioned by Dallas Contemporary, the heavily lined image of two human-like bird figures facing one another was to "to remain on view until the building falls apart or the apocalypse occurs. Although there’s a distinct possibility that those two events could coincide," the website says. Sadly, the mural was across the street from Trinity Groves, sitting in the path of gentrification. So score one for the artist's prescience. Luckily, the skatepunk-inspired Sieben is back in Dallas with a new collection of works in an exhibition titled The Thing Within at {neighborhood}. The show opens Dec. 3 and continues until Jan. 1 or the apocalypse. Given the way things are going you might want to hurry by. {neighborhood} opens at 11 a.m. daily except Mondays. — Patrick Williams

Family Friendly Comedy Show Dallas Comedy House 3025 Main St. 6 p.m. Saturday $10 Now that the holidays are coming up, that means the little ones will actually be home and you’ll have to find stuff to do together if you don’t want them turning your furniture into jungle gyms or your new HD TV into a dry-erase board. Unfortunately, there aren’t many entertainment options for parents who don't care to expose their kids to foul language, gratuitous sex scenes and violence. The folks at the Dallas Comedy House (2645 Commerce St.) know this problem exists and have come up with a novel solution: a comedy show that doesn’t try to shock you into laughing. Their weekly Family Friendly Comedy Show at 6 p.m. Saturdays features a group of improv comedians making up scenes and jokes on the spot that anyone of any age can enjoy without fear of having to explain what “getting a home run” means on the ride home. Advance tickets are $8 and general admission and box office tickets are $10. — Danny Gallagher

Board Game NightAlamo Drafthouse 100 S. Central Expressway, Richardson 5 p.m. Sunday Free We may have the most advanced video gaming technology in the history of the medium, but the board game will never die. They're way more immersive than an Oculus Rift headset can ever hope to be, and the most inclusive form of friendly competition. A board game can be deceptively simple and become ridiculously complex in a matter of minutes. Alliances are tested and rivalries are formed. Of course, booze always makes the experience better. That’s why Glass Half Full bar and restaurant at The Alamo Drafthouse hosts a free, regular board game night at 5 p.m. Sunday. Players can enjoy a game of Munchkin, Settlers of Catan, Say Anything! or Arkham Horror, or play a game from their private collections. — Danny Gallagher

Caroline North is the music and culture editor at the Dallas Observer. She studied English at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, and in 2012 returned to her hometown of Dallas, where she spends her free time seeking out new places to roller skate and play pinball.